Experts weigh in on break-down of ties between Rwanda and Belgium

Rwanda's move to sever diplomatic ties with Belgium has been referred to as a strong message to the European country, which may be interpreted in a number of ways. The two countries' relations that are historically unhealthy got worse in the past two months, with the latest development being Rwanda's decision to cut diplomatic ties with Belgium and ordering its diplomats to leave within 48 hours. ALSO READ: Rwandan diplomats will not respond to Brussels summons: Nduhungirehe Rwanda has consistently called out Belgium for taking sides in the eastern DR Congo conflict and launching a campaign to sabotage the country's cooperation with development partners, instead of backing diplomatic solutions to solve the problem. Last month, Rwanda also suspended the five year development cooperation agreement it had with Belgium. Commenting on the latest move to cut diplomatic ties, Ismael Buchanan, a senior lecturer of political science at the University of Rwanda, said it means that the government of Rwanda is telling Belgium that enough is enough. ALSO READ: A historical timeline of Belgium's divisive politics in Rwanda For several weeks, Belgium's minister of foreign affairs was trying to play around with waging an aggressive campaign on behalf of the Belgian government, trying to influence the European Union and other international organisations in an openly hostile way, asking EU countries to take sanctions against Rwanda, he said. He noted that it is simple to realise that Belgium has clearly taken sides in what is going on in the region. This (the severing of ties) is a clear message that Rwanda is commited to safeguarding its national interests as well as upholding the principle of mutual respect, he pointed out. He highlighted that Belgium has always allowed some of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi to stay in it's territory and even get citizenship, which shows how the European country has been disrespectful to Rwanda. The news of severing the diplomatic ties also received reaction from various people outside of Rwanda, where for example, Shehu Sani, a Nigerian senator, author, playwright and a human rights activist, referred to it as a strong message to the former colonial masters that not all African states will surrender their sovereignty and dignity for crumbs of economic aid. Tom Mulisa, a Rwandan international human rights law expert, took a more optimistic stance, noting that soon or later the two nations will sit together and sort out their misunderstandings. In international relations no permanent enemies exist. Soon or later dialogue will prevail between the two nations, he said. In a statement published by Rwanda's foreign affairs ministry on Monday, March 17, it said the decision to cut diplomatic ties has been taken after careful consideration of several factors, all linked with Belgium's pitiful attempts to sustain its neo-colonial delusions. The ministry’s statement went on to call out Belgium for consistently undermining Rwanda, “both well before and during the ongoing conflict in DR Congo, “in which Belgium has a deep and violent historical role, especially in acting against Rwanda.” In February, Rwanda suspended its development cooperation with Belgium, calling out the European country for leading an aggressive campaign, together with DR Congo, to sabotage its access to development finance, including in multilateral institutions. The move followed the renewed military escalation in eastern DR Congo in February between M23 rebels and the Congolese government forces’ coalition that includes the FDLR, a UN-designated terror group founded by remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The coalition also comprised European mercenaries, Burundian government forces, and several Congolese militias under the Wazalendo umbrella.

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Experts weigh in on break-down of ties between Rwanda and Belgium